What is the role of the electoral college in the presidential election?

Question

Who really elects the president? Electoral college or Popular vote?

Answer 1

The Electoral College system WORKS and is supported by the US Constitution. http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa102200a.htm

Under the Electoral College system, it is possible for a candidate to lose the nationwide popular vote, yet be elected president by winning only in eleven key states.

Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution grants the power to elect the president and vice president to the states through the Electoral College system. Under the Constitution, the highest-ranking U.S. officials elected by direct popular vote of the people are the governors of the states.

To be brutally honest, the Founding Fathers did not give the American public of their day much credit for political Preserving Federalism
The Founding Fathers also felt the Electoral College system would enforce the concept of federalism -- the division and sharing of powers between the state and national governments.
Under the Constitution, the people are empowered to choose, through direct popular election, the men and women who represent them in their state legislatures and in the United Sates Congress. The states, through the Electoral College, are empowered to choose the president and vice president.

http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Electoral-College-13750.html

Over 700 amendments have been proposed to modify or abolish the Electoral College. All have failed.

Your State Senators and Congressmen/women will vote on behalf of your state. After the polls close, the Senators and Congressmen cast their votes for the candidate that their state chose.

A total of 270 votes are needed to be elected President of the total 538 possible votes.

In 2000 there were only 2 states that did not operate under the "winner take all" method. They were Nebraska and Maine. The other 48 states and D.C. are winner take all electoral votes.

Here's a map with the electoral points for each state in 2004:
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/usstates/electorl.gif

VOTE TO KEEP AMERICA SAFE!

Answer 2

Hey jack, the Electoral College was established by Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution. It is not a Republican plot.

The Electoral College system was established so that in order to win the presidency, one needs broad, not just regional support. For most states, the winner of the popular vote gets all of that state's electoral votes. There are a few states (Nebraska and Maine come to mind) that allocate their electoral votes differently.

The system has it flaws and detractors, but changing it would require a Constitutional ammendment.

At the time the system was enacted, it was meant to prevent the big states of Pennsylvannia and New York from dominating the presidency. In the modern era, a candidate has to have broad, national appeal rather than just in big cities or regions like the Northeast.

If you live in a city or in a region that is solidly on one side of the political spectrum, you'll likely dislike the electoral system. If you live anywhere else, you can see its benefits.

Answer 3

The President is elected by the states, not the people.

I went to the public schools, but I have learned a lot since I graduated. The people vote to determine how their state will vote. The president presides over the states, not the people.

Originally, the idea was to allow each state to have an equal vote. Then it was proposed to have the vote settled based on giving each state a voice proortional to its population. A compromise was worked out:

The number of electors each state has is equal to its population (number of Representatives), plus the two senators that each state has. This give a slight advantage to the small population states. Otherwise, the election would be settled by the votes of the four or five states with the largest populations.

The Electoral College has served us well for over two hundred years. It has been under attack for a number of years by people who either don't understand how it works, or don't like our system. It was people like this who changed the way senators are elected. Prior to 1913, the senators in each state were elected by the state legislatures. A constitutional amendment changed it to election by the people.

These were safeguards, checks and balances making it harder fro special interests to gain control of our politicians. The American people have allowed these safeguards to come under attack because the have little or knowledge of the Constitution, or how our government is supposed to work.

The Constitution is supposed to limit government. Government without limit becomes tyrannical. That's why we are losing our rights.

Vote for RON PAUL.

Answer 4

The electoral college. Popular vote by state tells the electors in that state who the people of the state prefer.

Answer 5

Neither. The Electoral College is merely the puppet voting in line with their respective state's popular vote. Each state is allowed a number of votes based upon their population. So while the population elects their president it is based upon the distribution of votes throughout the state. And when a candidate wins 51% of the state's votes it collects all (100%) of the state's Electoral votes. So, iIt is possible to win the popular vote and lose the election.

Answer 6

Electoral college,so the public can be avoided. The republicans don't believe the public has the smarts to make the important decisions for themselves! They believe they are the ones that should make up your mind for you!